Defining Culture and Society from

anthropological and sociological perspectives

 OBJECTIVES:
1. explain anthropological and sociological perspectives on culture and
society
2. describe society and culture as a complex whole
3. Identify aspects of culture and society
4. raise questions toward a holistic appreciation of cultures and
societies
5. become aware of why and how cultural relativism mitigates
ethnocentrism
6. identify forms of tangible and intangible heritage and the threats to
these
5 min Buzz Session

a. Explain the statement “. Society as a group of people sharing a common culture”

b. What is the difference between society and culture?
c. If you were an anthropologist/sociologist, how would you define culture?
Society and Culture

Society
 describes a group of people who
share a common territory and
culture
 By “territory”, sociologists
refer to a definable region – as
small as a neighborhood (e.g.,
barangay), a city (e.g., Manila),
a country (e.g., Philippines), to
as large as the global regional
context (e.g., Asia).
Society and Culture

Culture
 refers to “that complex
whole which encompasses
beliefs, practices, values,
attitudes, laws, norms,
artifacts, symbols,
knowledge, and
everything that a person
learns and shares as a
member of society.”
What is the difference between society
and culture?
A culture represents the beliefs, practices,
and artifacts of a group, while society
represents the social structures and
organization of the people who share those
beliefs and practices.
Neither society nor culture could exist
without the other.
Classification of Culture
Material Culture – Cultural components that are visible
and tangible. This includes all material objects or those
components or elements of culture with physical
representation such as tools, furniture, buildings,
bridges, gadgets, etc.
Nonmaterial Culture - Components of culture that are
nontangible or without physical representation. This
can be categorized into cognitive and normative
nonmaterial culture.
Cognitive culture includes the ideas,
concepts, philosophies, designs, etc. that
are products of the mental or intellectual
functioning and reasoning of the human
mind.
Normative culture includes all the
expectations, standards and rules for
human behavior.
Elements of Culture

Beliefs.
Conceptions or ideas people
have about what is true in the
environment around them like what
is life, how to value it, and how
one’s beliefs on the value of life
relate with his or her interaction
with others and the world. These
may be based on common sense,
folk wisdom, religion, science, or a
combination of all these.
Elements of Culture
Values.
Describe what is appropriate or
inappropriate (good or bad;
desirable or undesirable; worthy or
unworthy) in a given society or
what ought to be. These are
broad, abstract, and shared to
influence and guide the behavior
of people.
Elements of Culture
Symbols.
People who live in a certain culture
use symbols to understand each
other. Symbols can be verbal or
nonverbal that communicate
meaning that people recognize and
share.
Elements of Culture

Language.
A shared set of spoken and
written symbols. It is basic to
communication and transmission
of culture.
Elements of Culture
Technology.
The application of knowledge
and equipment to ease the task
of living and maintaining the
environment. It also includes all
artifacts, methods, and devices
created and used by people.
Elements of Culture

Norms.
Specific rules/standards to guide
appropriate behavior. Societal
norms are of different types and
forms.
Characteristics of Culture
Dynamic, flexible, and adaptive.
 cultures interact and change
Shared and may be challenged.
 sharing culture with others (given the reality of social
differentiation) and challenging it by the presence of
other cultures and other forces in society like
modernization, industrialization, and globalization
Learned through socialization or enculturation.
 cultureis learned as we interact in society;
enculturation
 Characteristics of Culture
Patterned social interactions.
 culture as a normative system has the capacity to define and control human
behaviors
Integrated.
 known as holism, or the various parts of a culture being interconnected or
interlinked; all aspects of culture are related to one another
Transmitted through socialization/enculturation.
 culture is passed on to the new members of society or to the younger
generation in different ways
Requires language and other forms of communication
 symbols and language are needed in the process of learning and transmitting
culture
ICL Activity: Provide concrete examples of the following
aspects of culture in the Philippine Setting
Aspect of Culture Example in Philippine
Setting
1. Culture is dynamic, flexible and
adoptive.
2. Culture is shared and contested.
3. Culture is learned and transmitted
through socialization and enculturation
4. Culture is set of patterned social
interactions
5. Culture is integrated and at times
unstable.
6. Culture requires language and other
forms of communication
Have the students define Ethnocentrism
and Xenocentrism using online sources.

Guide Question
a. How would you define Ethnocentrism and
Xenocentrism?
Ethnocentrism/Xenocentrism and cultural relativism as
orientations in viewing other cultures
Ethnocentrism, a term coined by William
Graham Sumner, is the tendency to see and
evaluate other cultures in terms of one’s
own race, nation, or culture.
 This rests on the belief of the superiority
of one’s own culture or ethnic group
compared to others.
 Learning to take the role of the other
person gives one the ability to see the
perspective of the other before
articulating or giving judgment.
Ethnocentrism/Xenocentrism and cultural relativism
as orientations in viewing other cultures
Xenocentrism – one’s exposure to
cultural practices of others may make
one give preference to the ideas,
lifestyle, and products of other cultures.
 This was termed by John D. Fullmer.
 People who usually experience
xenocentrism come from a country
with lower economic position as
compared to the one preferred.
 Ethnocentrism/Xenocentrism and cultural
relativism as orientations in viewing other cultures
Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual
human’s beliefs and activities should be understood
by others in terms of that individual’s own culture.
 Though Franz Boas coined the term, the concept
was popularized by his students.
 It highlights the perspective that no culture is
superior to any other culture when comparing
systems of morality, law, politics, etc.
 Culture is seen to have equal value. It rests on the
idea that all cultural practices and beliefs are
equally valid and that truth itself is relative,
depending on the cultural environment.
One Minute Reflection:

Why and how cultural

relativism mitigates
ethnocentrism?
Article Analysis - Have the students read the following article:

a. “Tangible and Intangible Heritage” https://resources.riches-project.eu/glossary/tangible-and-intangible-cultural-heritage/

Guide question for discussion

a. What are the tangible and intangible heritage in the article?
b. “Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property”
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/illicit-
trafficking-of-cultural-property/unesco-database-of-
national-cultural-heritage-laws/frequently-asked-
questions/danger-and-threats/#topPage

Guide question for discussion

 a. What are the threats to the tangible and intangible
heritage?
 b. In what way/s can we address the threats to our
tangible and intangible heritage?
Exit Ticket

 Whatquestions do you have regarding how a

person can appreciate culture?
 Reference:

https://awc.ashford.edu/tocw-guidelines-for-
writing-a-case-study.html